The Real Madrid manager was in awe of his players after the victory
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has heaped praise on Luka Modric for his amazing performance in their Champions League win over Chelsea.
Los Blancos prevailed 5-4 on aggregate despite losing the Santiago Bernabeu leg 3-2 on Tuesday and reached the semi-finals.
Chelsea, the defending champions, raced to a 3-0 lead by the 75th minute as Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner combined to turn the tie around.
However, a goal from Rodrygo in the 80th minute and then one from Karim Benzema in extra-time restored the Spanish team’s aggregate lead, knocking the holders out.
He was all praise for his side and some of the players that stood out, particularly Modric, who turned in a man-of-the-match performance.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia after the game, he said:
“Karim Benzema is a champion, but I can mention many players tonight. Dani Carvajal played a centre-back, Lucas Vasquez and Eduardo Camavinga had a great impact, Toni Kroos, who played 70 minutes.“Modric? He was extraordinary, especially with that pass…”
The Croatian was class apart, capping off a heroic performance with a sublime assist for Rodrygo, laying an outside-of-the-boot cross for the Brazilian to tap home in the 80th minute.
Real Madrid are now in the last-four for the second year running, a third time under Ancelotti alone, and the Italian is confident of his side’s title chances.
He added:
“I believed we could make it. We didn’t deserve to go down to two goals. We suffered a lot on set pieces, but after their second goal, our personality emerged.“We knew that Chelsea could have caused trouble for us. Perhaps we had something more, but we were competitive and we are in the semis now. Surely, not only four clubs can win the Champions League.”
Real Madrid never give up, says Ancelotti
For the second tie in a row, Real Madrid fought back from a deficit to progress into the next round. It’s perhaps down to the club’s refusal to concede, according to Ancelotti.
He said to Canal 5:
“This club never gives up. For this reason, we have received a big award such as the semi-finals.”
On the same night, Villarreal pulled off an upset of their own by knocking out heavyweights Bayern Munich with a 2-1 aggregate win.
With two Spanish teams already in the semis, there could be a third one tonight if Atletico Madrid overturn their 1-0 deficit against Manchester City.
Highlighting the strong La Liga presence, he added:
“In the end, Spain have two teams in the semis. It’s not personal revenge, I am happy for Villarreal and Unai Emery, an excellent team and a great coach. Tomorrow there is another candidate for the semis, Atletico Madrid.”
